A Global Anti-Scam Call to Action

The UNDP’s Anti-Scam Handbook is an important step forward in recognising scams not just as a tech problem, but as a serious global development issue. It captures the complexity of the threat, the scale of the harm, and the need for a thoughtful, joined-up response.

The report: https://www.undp.org/policy-centre/singapore/publications/anti-scam-handbook

We’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the authors and contributors. It’s an impressive piece of work, a systems view that balances evidence, empathy and urgency.

At Dodgy or Not?, we’ve read the handbook closely. It’s both sobering and motivating. And perhaps most striking of all, it affirms much of what we’ve seen on the ground: that education, behaviour, and trust are central to turning the tide.

Here are just a few insights that stood out — and why they resonated.

Scams Are About People, Not Just Platforms

The handbook makes it clear: even digitally savvy users fall for scams. Not because they’re uninformed, but because they’re human — tired, distracted, emotionally triggered, or rushed.

This matches what we’ve observed in our own work. Scam prevention isn’t just about information. It’s about helping people slow down, spot red flags, and practise sound judgement in moments of uncertainty.

That’s why Dodgy or Not? is built as a game, so that people can play these scenarios before they live them.

Learning Needs to Be Engaging, Not Just Accurate

One of the more direct points in the report is that traditional scam awareness training often fails to change behaviour. It’s too passive, too generic, and too disconnected from how scams actually work.

This aligns with our experience designing learning that works. We’ve seen that when people are active participants — not just recipients — the outcomes shift. We use humour, repetition, real-world scams, and daily challenges to make learning sticky.

The name is intentionally light-hearted. But the intent is serious: to help people ask better questions and make safer choices.

No Age Group is Immune — Especially Not Young People

We appreciated the report’s focus on youth, and the acknowledgment that younger people are often more exposed than they seem, especially through social platforms, games, and private chat spaces.

Our school editions reinforce this: even our highest, scoring students miss grooming scenarios. Not because they are careless, but because grooming tactics are subtle, and the social cues difficult to read.

What the game offers is a safe way to surface those blind spots before any real harm occurs.

Prevention Works Best When It’s Practical, Shame-Free and Shared

The report calls for normalising the conversation, moving away from blame, and giving people tools that are easy to use and widely accessible.

This is something we’ve tried hard to do, especially in our community and school editions. We’re not trying to lecture anyone. We’re trying to help people of all ages think critically, reflect, and ask: “Is this dodgy or not?”

We’re still learning, and still improving, but this is the direction we believe makes the biggest difference.

A Shared Goal

We want to thank the UNDP for laying out a global framework that recognises scams as an issue of digital trust, inclusion, and wellbeing. It’s a helpful and timely resource, not only for policymakers, but for educators, designers, and builders like us.

For those who haven’t read the report yet, we encourage you to do so. It’s clear, evidence-based, and refreshingly action-oriented.

And for those of you working on similar problems, whether in education, tech, policy or enforcement, we’d love to share what we’ve learned and learn from you too.

We’re all part of the same ecosystem. And when we align, the impact multiplies.